Scottish Executive

Care of Elderly People

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has received from East Dunbartonshire Council regarding the disbursement by the council of funding allocated for the implementation of free personal care in the council area.

Mr Frank McAveety: East Dunbartonshire Council have recently been asked to provide details to the Joint Scottish Executive/COSLA Group on Free Personal Care of how they have used their allocation of free personal care monies. No reply has yet been received.

Children

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in the light of the publication of the concluding observations on Her Majesty’s Government’s second report produced by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and what plans it has to seek a debate in the Parliament on this issue.

Cathy Jamieson: The Executive is fully committed to the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and has taken note of the concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. There are no current plans for a debate specifically on this issue. However, note has been taken of the concluding observations, and these informed wider debates and policy on children’s services.

Children in Care

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what auditing is done of neuroleptic and similar class drugs prescribed to children in private residential care homes.

Malcolm Chisholm: Prescription data collected centrally are not patient-specific.

  Care homes for children are now regulated by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (the Care Commission). The commission regulates services by inspecting them against the legislative requirements and the relevant national care standards. The Regulation of Care (Requirements as to Care Services)(Scotland) Regulations 2002 require providers of some care services, including providers of care homes for children (independent and local authority), to keep a record of medicines for the use of service users which are kept on the premises from which the care service is provided.

Council Tax

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the council tax collected was as a percentage of council tax due in each local authority in 2001-02.

Peter Peacock: The council tax collected, as a percentage of the council tax billed for 2001-02 for each local authority, is shown in the following table. This is the amount collected as at 30 September 2002, the latest date available.

  Council Tax Collected as a Percentage of Council Tax Billed for 2001-02 (as at 30 September 2002)1,2,3

  
 Scotland
92.2  Aberdeen 
City 91.7 
Aberdeenshire 95.2
 Angus 96.0
 Argyll and Bute
93.9  Clackmannanshire
91.5  Dumfries 
and Galloway .. 
Dundee City 87.7
 East Ayrshire
90.2  East Dunbartonshire
94.0  East Lothian
95.4  East Renfrewshire
95.8  Edinburgh, 
City of 92.4 
Eilean Siar 91.9
 Falkirk
95.3  Fife
93.0  Glasgow City
83.7  Highland
93.3  Inverclyde
88.9  Midlothian
94.0  Moray
94.2  North Ayrshire
90.7  North Lanarkshire
93.0  Orkney
97.9  Perth and 
Kinross 95.5 
Renfrewshire 93.7
 Scottish Borders
96.7  Shetland
97.6  South Ayrshire
95.2  South Lanarkshire
94.1  Stirling
96.2  West Dunbartonshire
85.7  West Lothian
92.7 

  Source: Information supplied by councils to Scottish Executive on the statistical return council tax, non-domestic rates and community charge receipts (CTRR).

  Notes:

  1. Excludes council tax benefit.

  2. Dumfries and Galloway is excluded as no return has been received from this council for this period.

  3. Councils are asked to exclude surcharges, although this is not always possible. They are included for East Renfrewshire, Fife, Highland, North Ayrshire, Orkney, Scottish Borders, South Ayrshire and West Lothian.

Emergency Services

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many assaults on (a) police officers, (b) firefighters and (c) ambulance personnel were reported in each police force area in each year since 1999; how many such assaults resulted in a (i) prosecution and (ii) conviction, and, where a conviction was secured, what the mean (1) level of fine and (2) length of custodial sentence imposed was.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information is shown in the following tables.

  Assaults on Police Officers

   
Force 1999-2000
2000-01 2001-02
 Central
267 262
404  Dumfries and 
Galloway 14
11 111
 Fife 164
221 n/a
 Grampian
68 279
76  Lothian and 
Borders 304
299 313
 Northern
215 223
236  Strathclyde
8,713 6,670
7,045  Tayside
276 270
14 

  Note:

  The information provided relates to assaults on police officers returned to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary by forces on an annual basis. Forces are asked to record all assaults on police officers whether or not injury occurred and whether or not any person was charged. However, changes in recording systems, differences in counting conventions and differences in the nature of the incidents probably lie behind some of the large annual variations within certain forces and differences between forces. Action is in hand to try to improve the consistency with which this information is collected.

  Assaults on Ambulance Personnel

  
  1999-2000
2000-01 2001-02
 Scotland Total
195 176
181 

  Note:

  Detailed information by ambulance divisions is not held centrally.

  Incidents involving Assaults on Fire Crews: 1 January to 30 June 2002

  
 Central Scotland
1  Dumfries and 
Galloway 0 
Fife 1 
Grampian 0 
Highland and Islands 0
 Lothian and Borders
12  Strathclyde
54  Tayside
1 

  Note:

  The information is shown by fire brigade area which equates to police force area. Information on assaults was not collected prior to 2002.

  Prosecutions and Convictions for Assault Against a Police Officer

  
  1999
2000 2001
 Persons proceeded against for assault against 
a police officer 2,941
2,627 2,651
 Persons convicted of assault against a police 
officer 2,343
2,073 2,059
 Average custodial sentence (days)
121 117
113  Average fine 
(£) 251
253 260


  Notes:

  1. The individuals associated with the figures in each row will not correspond exactly with those in other rows.

  2. The information is not held centrally by force area.

  3. Equivalent information relating to assaults on firefighters and ambulance personnel is not held centrally.

Prescription Charges

Mr Alasdair Morrison (Western Isles) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) report into the arrangements by which community pharmacists may dispense NHS prescriptions and how it intends to respond to the report.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive received a copy of the OFT report today, as did ministers in the other three UK Health Departments.

  We shall consider the recommendations in the report very carefully. The recommendations could have potentially significant implications for both community pharmacists and patients alike. We are therefore arranging meetings to give key stakeholders the opportunity to give their views and reaction to the report’s recommendations. Additionally, stakeholders who wish to do so may submit written comments to the Executive.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30641 by Mr Jim Wallace on 8 November 2002, what specific current plans it has for the development of prison accommodation.

Hugh Henry: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS have prepared an Estate Development Programme. Long-term development plans are in place for HM Prison Edinburgh, HM Prison and Young Offenders Institution Glenochil, HM Prison Perth and HM Young Offenders Institution Polmont and implementation of these is planned to start in 2003. The programme also includes investment at HM Prison Barlinnie (accommodation upgrade) and HM Prison Peterhead (power in-cell).

  In addition, investments are being progressed on a number of sites, for example HM Prison Aberdeen, to meet key needs and subject to operational priorities and funding availability.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31450 by Mr Jim Wallace on 2 December 2002, which budgets within the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) are delegated to individual prisons and other establishments within the SPS; what each such budget covers, and what expenditure relating to prisons and other establishments is budgeted for centrally

Hugh Henry: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Budgets are allocated to areas best placed to manage them at any point in time. For example, when a process is relatively new the costs may be managed centrally and then subsequently delegated. Budgets at present delegated to prisons and other establishments are set out in the table but may change from year to year and during the year. A number of areas are managed by the centre including estate development, cost of capital and some specialist functions. These can also change from year to year and during the year.

  Budgets Categories Delegated to Prisons and Other Establishments by Expenditure Heading

  
 Budget Category
Description  1. Revenue Budgets
Sale of GoodsSales Value for ProductionSale of QuartersGeneral 
Revenue  2. Running Cost Budgets
PayAllowancesOvertimeOther staff costsCasual Temporary 
StaffTravel and SubsistenceEquipment Repair/UpgradeEquipment 
Renewal/ReplacementPlant and Equipment running costsMaintenance 
and Repair of prison buildingsMaintenance and Repair of housingOther 
repair costsIn house teams (maintenance)Fuel and Public UtilitiesStationery, 
Printing and TelecomsTraining and Associated CostsProjects and ProgrammesStaff 
Related Administration ExpensesOther General Administration ExpensesDepreciation
 3. Other Current Expenditure
Fees PaidOther Current CostsVictuallingHealth carePrisoner 
Related ServiceOther SuppliesGoods for productionVehicle 
and Freight CostsPrisoner EarningsVocational TrainingEducation, 
Physical Education, RecreationAdministration 
4. Capital Expenditure Plant and EquipmentMinor 
Works 

  Centrally managed budgets include headquarters, central stores and shared central services and support functions for the whole of SPS.

Prison Service

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of prisoners that have committed suicide in prison in each of the last five years have been on prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and neuroleptic drugs and/or Ritalin.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is not available.

Public Bodies

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32551 by Mr Andy Kerr on 3 January 2003, how many of the 49 public bodies have been (a) abolished and (b) declassified since May 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: Nineteen public bodies have been abolished and 30 have been declassified (including 28 NHS trusts).

  Further to my previous answer, the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland and the Health Technology Board for Scotland have been abolished and replaced with NHS Quality Improvement Scotland with effect from 1 January 2003.

Public Bodies

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32551 by Mr Andy Kerr on 3 January 2003, how many public bodies there are in Scotland.

Mr Andy Kerr: There are 150 public bodies in Scotland. Details are contained on the Public Bodies and Appointments website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/government/publicbodies/ .

Rail Network

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a light rail link between Renfrew, Braehead retail centre and Glasgow city centre.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive has funded a study of rail links to Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports, and the Clyde Corridor Transportation Study, both of which examine the scope for a light rail link between Renfrew, Braehead retail centre and Glasgow city centre. The Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive has recently undertaken a Braehead Fixed Links study that will report shortly. As none of these studies have yet reported, it follows that, at this stage, there are no firm proposals for such a link.

Scottish Executive Finance

Angus MacKay (Edinburgh South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact has been of HM Treasury’s Technical Note No.1 (Revised), How to account for PFI Transactions, and how it will affect Scotland.

Mr Andy Kerr: Technical Note No. 1 (Revised), How to account for PFI Transactions , is about the practical application of accounting standards which determine how PFI schemes are to be reported in the annual accounts of both the purchasers and operators. In particular, it is used to determine in which set of accounts the property associated with the PFI scheme is to be reported. The accounting treatment follows the requirements laid down by the Accounting Standards Board, which aim to ensure openness and clarity in published accounts. The guidance was effective from September 1998, and applied retrospectively.

  Under resource accounting, a change in a PFI project’s accounting treatment from being "off balance sheet" to being "on balance sheet" has an impact on the budgeting process for departments and sponsored bodies. When Technical Note No.1 was issued, the Treasury agreed that where the accounting treatment changed for existing PFI schemes, this should have no impact on the departments or sponsored bodies concerned. This concession was allowed because departments would have been unaware of the change in accounting treatment at the time of signing such a PFI contract and it was deemed unfair to penalise them for a change which was outwith their control.

  The only contract in Scotland affected by the change of treatment is that for the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary (RIE). The PFI contract for the RIE was signed in September 1996, and when the new guidance was applied retrospectively to the contract, the accounting treatment was revised to report the deal as being on the balance sheet of Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust. Stage 1 of the scheme became operational in January 2002, and the annual accounts of the trust for 2001-02 reflect £70.6 million on the balance sheet for that element. Stage 2 of the scheme is expected to be operational in spring 2003, by which time the capital value of the whole project (£252 million) will have been reflected in the trust’s balance sheet. The change in accounting treatment does not change the value for money assessment of the scheme.

  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has agreed that the Executive’s budget will be adjusted to reflect this in 2001-02 and 2002-03 in respect of the PFI scheme at the RIE. Therefore there is no net impact on the Executive’s Budget from the application of Technical Note No.1.

Correction

The reply to question S1W-29887, which was originally answered on 16 October 2002, has been corrected: see page 2733 or http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/official_report/wa-03/wa0115.htm.